all holiday

blind man's holiday

A phrase that refers to the inability to work at night (before electric light was common). It is a "holiday" because one cannot work when it is too dark to see. I don't mind that it gets dark so early in the winter because then we can go home earlier—it's a blind man's holiday!A: "What are you doing home so early?" B: "It's too dark to keep working so we got to take a blind man's holiday."

a busman's holiday

slang A vacation in which one does an activity that is similar to one's job (as in the case of a bus driver, or "busman," who drives on his vacation). Because I'm a docent, visiting museums on vacation is like a busman's holiday for me.

busman's holiday leisure

time spent doing something similar to what one does at work. (Alludes to a bus driver going on a bus tour for his vacation or on a day off.) Tutoring students in the evening is a busman's holiday for our English teacher.It's a bit of a busman's holiday to ask her to be wardrobe mistress for our amateur production in the summer. She's a professional dressmaker.

busman's holiday

Free time spent in much the same pursuit as one's work. For example, Weather permitting, the lifeguard spent all her days off at the beach-a real busman's holiday . The term alludes to a bus driver spending his day off taking a long bus ride. [Late 1800s]

a busman's holiday

mainly BRITISH

If someone spends part of their holiday doing things they do in their normal job, you can say that they are having a busman's holiday. This is probably the best fish restaurant in the country — at least one admiring chef a week passes through the cheery dining room on a busman's holiday.A fire crew's Christmas outing turned into a busman's holiday when their coach caught fire. Note: This expression may refer to bus drivers at the beginning of the 20th century when buses were horse-drawn. Drivers sometimes spent their day off riding on their own bus to make sure that the relief drivers were treating the horses properly.

high days and holidays

special occasions. informal

In the Church's calendar a high day was the day of an important festival. A holiday (originally holy day ) was similar but less specific. Holiday now refers to any day off, without any sacred significance, and so holy day is used if a specifically religious occasion is intended.

1998PamelaJoosteDance with a Poor Man's Daughter I was too busy looking out for all of you. I only danced on high days and holidays.

a busman’s ˈholiday

(informal) a holiday spent doing the same kind of thing that you do at work: The fire crew’s annual outing turned into a busman’s holiday when their bus caught fire. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the blaze.This phrase may refer to the drivers of horse-drawn vehicles in the 19th century. When they were not working, they often rode as passengers on their own buses to make sure that the replacement driver was treating their horses well.

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